Delozier to Gov. Wolf: Stop Playing Favorites with State Employees
HARRISBURG – Rep. Sheryl Delozier (R-Cumberland), whose district is home to hundreds of state employees, today accused Gov. Tom Wolf of “playing favorites” by unfairly awarding costly pay increases to unionized state employees under his jurisdiction and his own staff, while neglecting non-union state employees for a second year.
“Times are tough and state workers do a great job serving the people of Pennsylvania,” Delozier said. “To continue to neglect non-union employees year after year while his union friends get multiple raises, I believe, shows a complete lack of leadership of the governor.”
Wolf and the two largest state employee unions announced last week a tentative contract agreement to provide their members with five pay increases over the next three years.
In addition to its partiality, Delozier said the near 13-percent pay increase Wolf negotiated is unsustainable in the state’s current fiscal climate.
“It’s interesting how the governor has no problem using the state’s poor fiscal climate as a selling point when he’s trying to convince Pennsylvania families that he needs more of their hard-earned tax dollars, yet he has no problem spending money we don’t have when it comes to union contracts and his staff,” Delozier said.
The new contract negotiation comes just one month after the governor received an additional $1.6 billion in new state government spending in the final 2016-17 state budget. Increased taxes were necessary to balance this year’s budget.
“Gov. Wolf just got done asking for a massive increase in government spending and he’s already piling debt on our ledgers for next year and beyond,” said Delozier, who opposed the 2016-17 budget plan. “While I agree reliable and competent employees deserve fair pay, I think we need to be equitable, while also being responsible about how much we are promising and being respectful to the people actually paying the bill.”
Delozier noted these contracts will be the first contracts analyzed by the Independent Fiscal Office (IFO) under a new law passed the General Assembly, Act 100 of 2016. The new law requires the IFO to provide a cost analysis of the proposed collective bargaining agreements under the governor’s jurisdiction.
Representative Sheryl Delozier
88th District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Abbey Haslam
717.260.6222
ahaslam@pahousegop.com
RepDelozier.com /
Facebook.com/RepDelozier